I need to get back into blogging

Hanging out on the web, I learn something new all the time. Right now I'm learning (realizing) that I miss blogging. So now I'm learning how to export and import blogger blogs. So for now I'm re-publishing some of my favorite and relevant posts right here.

Published Work

For a scrapbooker, getting published is a mark of honor. I remember first time I submitted, on whim, and my submission was selected. "A Good Day Shopping" appeared in a Memory Makers idea book on 3D embellishments...when 3D embellishments were made, not manufactured! I must say, my layouts that are selected for publication tend to be the ones that I did when I was "in The Zone," the place where creativity flows without thinking, without effort. I strive to be in The Zone on every layout, every card, every project. Below are some of my published favorites.

"My Son Has Planned a Work of Art"
Memory Makers
Celebrating Holidays Scrapbook Style Idea Book


"HOG"
Memory Makers
Scrapbooking Your Adult Years Idea Book




"First Tooth"
Carson Dellosa
Memorabilia Matters Scrapbook Idea Book




"Grandma's Letters"
Carson Dellosa
Memorabilia Matters Scrapbook Idea Book


"Sink Bath"

Scrapbook Trends Magazine

Texas 2008: GASC vs. CKU

This year, CKU-Houston is scheduled for the same weekend as GASC-Arlington. So why does this matter? Well, I'm in Houston. The big show every year is the GASC in Arlington, just outside of Ft. Worth. It's one of the largest shows and I've attended every year since I discovered scrapbooking. My parents and my sister live in Arlington, so the June event has been my busman's holiday for years. I can't pass up free room and board and babysitting!

GASC, which in now owned and run by F&W Publishing, is getting head-on competition from the other major player, CK Media. Texas will be torn in two. The Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook Expo , usually the second week of June in Houston, is switching venues and seasons. It will be in Conroe, north of Houston, in October for 2008. But Texas scrappers may find themselves torn between the two early summer events.

The difference is in the offering. GASC is a traditional trade show, with a vendor hall plus classes running all three days. CKU is education-focused, filled with celebrities and lots of sponsor product. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Scrapbooking's Image

Marianne shared how she would like to see scrapbooking portrayed in the media:

Scrapbooking is so often ridiculed because of the following it has created. Realistically, scrapbooking has been around for many years, in fact centuries, in one form or another. [We take] pride in our works.

I agree. Scrapbooking shouldn't be portrayed as a separate lifestyle, but simply as an extension of our lives. We're already taking photos; we're already making memories. Scrapbooking is a way for us to showcase and share them. Focusing solely on the creative aspect alienates newcomers. Scrapbooking is a great gateway to crafts, but it's not where it starts. It starts with a memory. And scrapbooking helps us appreciate the moments that become memories.

Another day, another attorney

Another $5,000 retainer quote. Imagine the scrapbooking supplies $5,000 would buy?! I don't want to think about it.

The thing with all this? There is no light at the end of the tunnel.

I mean, the non-custodial parent stops paying child support at some point. In many situations, boom, responsibility is over. Turn eighteen, get the diploma, whatever. There is an end in sight to the responsibility, the "duty."

But for those of us who do the day-to-day parenting (especially those who do 100% of the parenting), it's like laundry: there is no end. We will always care. We will always give. We will always worry. And we will always put our child's needs above our own.

Scrapbooking supplies are a need, you know.

Wish me luck, tomorrow and always.

Long Live the King!

Today...is the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley.

I remember when the King died (ahem, I will not disclose how old I was, but I was young enough to not know who he was). It's one of those vivid childhood memories in addition to being a milestone memory, like "where were you when Kennedy was shot?" or "where were you when the Challenger blew up?" and, of course, "where were you on 9/11?"

When Elvis died, my family was having a small reunion at my parents' house. My parents had over-stuffed, dark brown Naugahyde sofas and linoleum flooring in the den. I remember my aunts and uncles spinning yarns about Elvis, debating the earlier hits and the "fat years." It was one of the first times I remember wanting to hang out with the adults to hear their conversation instead of playing with my younger siblings or creating Lite-Brite designs. If memory serves me right, I was wearing my pink, square-framed Coke bottle eye glasses. Eww!

Where were you when Elvis left the building?

P.S. A local restaurant, Chuy's, has several shrines of Elvis, built on their customers' love of the King.

What Memorytrends said...

Here's what Beth Hess, editor of Memorytrends Magazine, reported as trends and hot products from CHA summer (my notes in orange):

The Craft & Hobby Association Summer Show provided an array of new product collections for crafters of all kinds. New yarn textures and colors are likely to inspire papercrafters. So, too, are artist materials. One of the hottest new scrapbooking products of the show is the IOD Paintables collection from Prima. These 12"x12" sheets of cardstock feature outlines of swirls, flowers, and more and are designed to be colored in with paints, markers, color pencils, chalks, or any other color medium. Co-creator Josie Celio says, "I forget how much fun coloring is until I started with this line. It's a form of expression many of us haven't used in a long time." Judging by the crowds watching the demos and placing their orders, others agree scrapbookers are ready to incorporate more of their artistic self and products they already own, like ink pads and pens, in this way. (Watch for more about artistry in journaling and scrapbooks in the September issue of Memorytrends Magazine.)

Other Products that stood out:

• Glue Arts GlueGlider Max - a large adhesive gun runner
  
• Dove of the East - Japan Collection

Other Trends Spotted:

• Birds, Trees flocks of owls, bird-shaped chipboard mini-albums from Piggy Tales & Maya Road, penguin Christmas paper from Imaginisce
  
• Swirls, Paisley
• Calendar projects Karen Foster, Flair, and others; getting ready for Christmas gifts
  
• Unique shapes in mini albums, board books, spiral journals, etc.
• Storage, storage, storage - this category just keeps growing (and becoming more fashion-forward and in-line with today's decorating trends) I'm guessing that this product line offers a high return for both manufacturers and retailers, hence the flood
  

Cards with Piggy Tales

Loving the Piggy Tales double-sided cardstock! Makes it uber easy to make cards!

Hot products to warm up our winter

Here are some of the products and trends I think will be hot coming out of CHA-S. What do you think?

• More of the warm, rich colors from January's CHA plus brighter blues (mentioned here)
• Texture and more texture - flocked, glitter, embroidered, stuff that screams "touch me!"
• More felt, velvet and lace, especially in rolls and ribbons, but also in flowers. Look for it from Queen & Co., Prima, Maya Road and others
• More interactive projects - see-through pages, flip books, hide & seek flap book and barn doors from Piggy Tales
• Anything transparent, like acetate, film, acrylic - the digital layered look goes beyond paper
• Home printers and multiple ways to use them - think hybrid and transparencies
• Glue Arts' Glue Glider Pro, which won the Art Materials Magazine Most Innovative Product Award - this is a must-have for serious scrappers
• Prima - with a special eye on the new Printables - something very different for scrapbooking (let's cross over to the art material aisle and grab some water brushes for our distress inks!)

Come back for more as I add to the list!

The Mother and Child Reunion

This Simon & Garfunkel song has been going through my mind all weekend. Today my DS and I are reunited after his two weeks+ at summer camp. Of course he had a wonderful time, and I enjoyed my break, but we both are anxious to be together again...at least until I have to remind him of his chores :-)

I have a layout already designed in my mind. I think I'll get him to help me on it.